Oregon to Streamline Provider Credentialing

A new law requires the Oregon Health Authority to establish an electronic database for credentialing organizations, including hospitals, insurance companies, and other facilities.

Provider credentialing in Oregon is on its way to becoming more streamlined under a bill that mandates healthcare providers use a single credentialing system by 2016.

The initiative, known as SB 604, requires the Oregon Health Authority to establish an electronic database for credentialing organizations, including hospitals, insurance companies, and other facilities. It's the first state to mandate the use of a single credentialing system; the bill was overwhelmingly supported in the state legislature.

The bill was signed by Oregon governor John Kitzhaber (D) on July 1 and goes into effect Jan. 1 2014.

Jean Steinberg, CPCS, CPMSM, director of medical staff services for Bend, OR -based St. Charles Health System, says the idea to have a statewide database for credentialing and recredentialing providers has been in the works "for years."

"Oregon already has a mandated credentialing application, so this is the next logical step," says Steinberg. "We, in this day and age, should be way down the road with credentialing."

Kendra (8/30/2013 at 4:05 PM)
Arkansas has had a mandate to for all hospitals, insurance companies, and other facilities to use CCVS(Centralized Credentialing Verification Service)since January 1,2002. I'm glad to hear other states are doing the same.

Elizabeth (8/28/2013 at 5:19 PM)
bettynoyes: Credentialing isn't something that is subject to commentary or opinions. The credentialing process has to do with validating a professionals, credentials. Whether or not their license is valid does not require commentary. There are other parts to the process of, say, hospital medical staff appointment and privileging which DO take into account peer references, clinical peer review data, practitioner's health and ability to play nice with others, etc. Those somewhat more ephemeral qualities would probably not be part of a credentialing database. Then there are other aspects that are investigative and somewhat subjective. Criminal background check, NPDB check, Google check and on and on. Maggie: I'm with you, I'm very curious about the particulars of this database. I live and do credentialing in TX so only a matter of interest to me. Oregon may start a trend.

Maggie (8/27/2013 at 2:39 PM)
I'm happy to see the legislature involved those who acutally perform the work...the Medical Services Profession (CPCS/CPMSM). I'm wondering if this similar to the CAHQ application ~ a central repository for data ONLY and the credentialing (PSV) would still be performed by each organization. Or will it be data AND PSV documents? Who validates the data or updates it? What about the organizations that spent tens of thousands of dollars on their own software? Will the data interface and what is the cost? I guess I have a lot of questions don't I? (even that was a question =) I'll go read the bill.